Lever actuated pivoted outer jaw wrench with pivoted rack catch



Oct. 7, 1952 K w, SMALL 2,612,808

l LEVER ACTUATED, PIVOTED OUTER JAW WRENCH, WITH PIVOTED RACK CATCH A Filed MaICh 3l. 1949 2 SHEETS- SHEET l Oct. 7, 1952 Hjw. SMALL LEVER ACTUATED. PIVOTED OUTER JAW WRENCH, wml PIvCTED RACK CATCH Filed Mafeh 31. 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 3 y. u. P,

ATTORNEYS.

'the invention consists `constructionand combinations of .parts, .hereinv the Claim,

designated 8.

Patented Oct. 7, 1952 LEVER ACTUATED PIVOTED OUTER UAW- Wannen'wrrnrrivoreniancxKontron n .'irervey itaslmell,Dubois..11111110 ApsueeuenfMareh' 31, 1949, sene1No.'-8'4;e9s

'.This :invention 4relates to wrenches, more "particularly, has reference :to a wrench 'cof im- .proved design :capable of useas a pipe :wrench :and :tor similar functions.

e important object ofthe .present invention is 'to provide .a wrench Yoi .generally improved de- `sign, that 4.will .be capable of .fswiftmpreliminary .adjustment of the .jaws

lto the @object to be gripped.

Another important object .is .to provide a `wrench having .animprovedjaw retraction means, Iwhereby `the :jaws can ybe Lclisengagedfrom the gripped object yswiftly yand with ease.

With ,the .foregoing and .other Nobjects .in view which will appear as `the descriptionproceeda of certainznovel detallsv of after more fully described and pointed @out .in it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing Afrom the spirit of the invention as claimed. vReferring to the drawings.

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a wrench constructed in accordance vwith theinvention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view. 1

Figures is a longitudinal section.

`Figure iszan enlarged detailsection Online 14--4 ofFigurel. j

Figure 5 is an enlarged section on line 5-5 eingerei.

Figure Sisan enlarged section on line of Figure 1. Figure 'is a view partly in side elevation and lpartly iny longitudinal section' through a vmodified form. i n

Referring to the drawings in detail, the reference numeral 5 designates'a channeled body integral `at one-end with the rearwardly; extended elongated vchanneled handle 6. vPivotally connected to the forward end of the channeled body 5 is the outer or stationary jaw 1, the pivotal connection of the jaw 1 to the body 5 being A channeled lever 9 underlies and straddles the body 5 and 11s integral handle t, said ehonneieo lever 9 including the spaced parallel extensions I that extend forwardly along oppositesides of the'body 5. A cross pin II connects the jaw 1 to the front end of the channeled lever 9, and the channeled lever is pivotally connected to the body by means of the pivotpin 8. Since jaw 1 is connected to the channeled lever 9, or more properly its forward extensions pins 8 and I I respectively, it is seen that the lever 9 and jaw 1 swing as one on the pivot 8.

Ill, at two places, by the 1.01am. (o1. S11- 411) -ing v-at rits rear endithe elongatedjlongitudinal closed slot I4. A'pull back :spring I5 extendsv` Alongitudinally of the 'slot I4, and ylisl'connec'iled at one end by across pin I6 to thehandle'l. `'and at the'other end Aishooked through an 'opening I1 formed inthe bar I3. Thus, means is provideclfor retracting the bar .I'SfWithinithehandle Yil, when said bar I3 is freed for 'retractioni'in the following manner. Teeth I8 are v"fornzied onfthe bar 13.

However, einen 191s mounted v1x1-the bedyrs, being pivotally vmounted within 'the Vbodyjas fat '2U and having extended -from 'one'end theflatch handle 2l. At the other :.en'd, "thelat'ch' I9 formed with teeth 22 complementary '-to"fth"e teeth I8 of the bar I3. Means are vprovided to -yieldably'urge into toothed engagement Awith the bar I3, vthis 'means comprising '-a spring -23 `coiled aroundfa guide pin 24 having 'at onefend theb'penfslo't '25 in' which vis received thek transversely extended pin 2B that is mounted `in the'ibody 5. The A'other end of the guide pin is lextended into th'frnt end of the latch I9 for the purpose of :holding said latchin toothed engagement-with the 'bari I3.

Extended transversely :through the slot- Iris the stop pin21 adapted 'to limit relative move:- ment between the handle 6 andthe bar; 'I`3.

At its Afront lend. the bar I3 is'iormedlwitha yoke '28 between the 'arms'` of lwhich vextendthe pin 29, that'passes through ears 38 that extend rearwardly from the toothed,v :law .memberv 3 1.

Jaw member 3I is thus secured rigidly'ftojthe Figures l through '6 inclusive vmay lnot bejnoted.

` 'Assuming that the bar I3 has been'fully` reytracted, one is ableto adjust, the jaw 3l toward' f the jaw 1 by grasping the handle 6 'with `one hand and grasping the lever 9 in the other hand.l

Lever 9 is then pulled away from the handle 5. This causes a portion of the lever 9 designated at 3| in Figure 1 to engage the ears 3D where-4 upon continued movement of the lever 9 away from the handle 6 will cause the jaw 3| and bar I3 to be movedl to the left in Figures 1 to 3 inclusive, toward the jaw 1." The position of the jawv 3| shown in the drawings is its maximum advanced position.

The jaw 3I is moved `forwardly or to the left in the drawings as much as desired to eect a Adjusted positions of the jaw 3| are defined by the' nachv the teeth 22 and the longitudinal series of teeth 22 can be of any reasonable length for the purpose of permitting adjustment within a wide range. 'I'he adjustment of said jaw 3 I, of course,

the user can withv one hand compress lever 9 y against the handle 6, thereby pivotally swinging jaw 1 closer to the jaw 3| and tightly gripping the pipe or other object gripped, The movement of the lever 9 against the handle 6 is against the action of the spring I2. Accordingly, assuming that the pipe or similar object has been rotated as desired, one need only release the lever il, whereupon spring i2 secured to said lever and :engaging the und er.side of the handle 6 will .cause-relative,movement of the handle 6 and lever away from each other, thus to spring the jaws l and 3| apartV and releasing the gripped object. V,It it is now desired to retract theA jaw 3|, the user simply presses the lever handle 2|,

whereupon the pull-back spring l5 retracts the jaw 3| to its maximum extent in which the ears 30, neaee the lever ,S at I? Considering theiorm of the inventionillus- .trated in Figure 7, ahandle or body 32has pivotally connected as at 33 the pivoted jaw 3d. A bar 35 is toothed as in the previous form of the deviceMand slides longitudinally of and within ,thehandle 32, being normally retracted by means s of aw pullfbacksspring-as in accordance with the A.first forni-of the invention, At its front end, the

bar 35 is equipped with the jaw 3B.

Jaws A34, 33 are normally sprung apart by means of a spring arrangement which differs somewhat fromuthe arrangementof the first form of the invention. To this end, VI recess the bar 35 as at31, vto receive acompression spring 33, which engages the jaws# and presses it away from the -jaw 3G. I do not provide in the form of the invention illustratedin Figure f. a lever such as the lever Q v However, I do provide a latching means thathas toothed engagement with the Vteeth 'of vthe barj 35 as .in the nrst form of the invention. Y A I 4 I n .the usecfthe. invention as illustrated in Figure 7, the forward adjustment of thejaw 36 ,is provided for simply'by pressing tothe left in Figure 7 the rearend of the toothed bar 35, shown yprojecting 'from theV handle 32 at the right of Figure '7. The toothed bar 35 ratchets along thelocking leveror latch as in the first form of theinvention, and will be retained in v'any position to which adjusted. The wrench i.sstlien used ,inthe regular manner, and whenever released, willi'spring4 away from the gripped object under the action of the spring 38. When full use has been made of the rwrench shown in Figure 7, the jaw 36 is retracted in the same manner as the jaw 3| in the first form of the invention, that is, by depression of the latch handle.

Swinging movement of the jaw 34 away from the jaw 36 under the action of the spring 38 is limited by at portion 39 formed on said jaw 3|. What is claimed is:

A Wrench comprising an elongated handle, a jaw member pivotally kconnected to the handle for movement in an arcuate path adjacent one end of the handle, a jaw carried by the jaw member for movement in an arcuate path remote from the handle from an active position in which it extends substantially perpendicular to the lon'- gitudinal axis of the handle to an inactive position in -which it lies at an angle to one side of the handle, a lever pivotally connected to the handle-fand connected tothe jaw .,member for inovingjit in, its arcuate pathy'a bar member mounted in the handle to move longitudinally through the end of the handle adjacent the jaw member, a second jaw carried by the bar member to move therewith in a rectilinear path toward and away from the handle adjacent the end thereof carrying the jaw member, yielding means connected between the handle and bar member for moving/the second jaw toward the handle, rack teeth carried by the .bar member, :and a toothed latch bar pivoted on the handle for engaging the .rack teeth and 'holding the bar member in a selected position and against movement by the yielding means, and cam means carried by the lever for engaging the second jaw and moving it toward the jaw member against the effort of the yielding means. Y

HERVEY W. SMALL.

REFERENCES 'orrnn" The following references are ofrecord in the fue of this patent: I 'l V UNITED STATES;y PATENTS y Y y Date Germany Aug. 13, (19,28 

